Alexei Czarn
"A mage hurling fireballs is all well and good, as is a cannon ball blasting apart ramparts, but to stir the hearts of men, there is nothing grander than a cavalry charge." -'' Sir Zawin, of the Black Alexei Czarn, or by his more commonly used name, Alek, was a Knight of the Order of the Broken Wing, that took part in the events that occurred in Novdahain in the onset of the first century DE. He was present for the assassination of the Prince-elect and much of the aftermath. Early Life Alexei was raised in the Karelian Marches in the Realm of Novdahain, on his family farm where he toiled for days as a young boy. A passing Knight, Sir Zawin, looking for a squire offered to take Alek and train him in his craft, Alek's parents were eager to see their son escape the hard life he had and with the opportunity to become a knight before him they gladly agreed. Alek spent the next few years training with Sir Zawin, becoming adept at swordsmanship, horse ridding as well as learning of nobility and honour from the old knight. The Siege of Sudniv ''For more on this even, see here. Alek accompanied Sir Zawin to the mustering of forces at Sudniv, when the forces of the primordial entity Xhahon-Dor threatened to overrun the fortress. Sir Zawin, along with what limited cavalry was available to the defenders, set up on the beaches around the fortification, awaiting the lesser beasts of the enemy to crawl onto shore. It was there that Alek first saw the Waxen, the bodies of mortals reanimated and used to fight the enemy, Alek saw men and women shambling forward to be hacked apart by the crude weapons, fangs and claws of the enemy. As Alek fought alongside his master, he saw horrors that stuck with him and hardened his resolved as deformed half-men and pale puppets of flesh hacked at each other in the shallows. As the gigantic beast struck the harbour, the enemy pressed their advantage, using the surging tide from the mosnter's mass displacing so much water to rush forward, men and horses drowning as the shambling dead men sank beneath the waves. Alek was caught up in this when he was saved by his master rallying a counter-charge, the mass of cavalry churning up great foaming waves before its crest, slamming into the enemy lines. As Zawin reached out to save his ward, he was struck by a blow to the chest by a massive clawed beast, gravely injuring him as his armour caved in. Alek managed to ride the maddened horse away from the battle's frontlines where he lay his master down in the sand. Zawin, his hands shaking, bestowed the rank of Knight upon Alek, handing him his sword and shield. Too shocked from the battle, Alek just nodded and agreed as Zawin removed his Order emblem and pinned it to Alek's breast, it was only afterwards that Alek realised that he had been swearing oaths and declaring himself to defend the weak and protect the innocent. After the battle, he was interrogated by the surviving members of the Order, demanding answers to why he was wearing the pin and his master lay dead. After explaining what happened, the shocked Alek told them the oaths he had sworn, old oaths that the Order had not enforced in years, swearing loyalty to ideals rather than the organisation itself. This angered many in the Order, saying that he should not be admitted as he had not taken the new oaths, though as many were quick to point out they had lost most of their members in the siege and needed any recruits they could. Sir Alek of Many-Shields As Alek had almost no money beyond what few coins his master had on him when he died, Alek had to borrow equipment from his Order, giving him the weapons and armour of fallen knights. His first tasks were simple, protecting caravans resupplying Sudniv and the wagons of the wounded returning to the city, having to fight off roaming bands of monsters that survived the battle. Once again Alek had to be around many of the Waxen, of which he grew to have a greater and greater dislike of being in their presence. For the next few years he traveled, escorting people from place to place, becoming a welcome companion to a small group of regulars, though as his Order demanded more gold from him, Alek was forced to raise his prices, driving many to other, less reputable forms of protection. When Alek returned to his Order's lodge for the winter, he knew something was needed to be done to save his struggling fraternity, believing the solution to his problems to be to gain enough money to rebuild the Order with new equipment and draw members, he headed to Novdahain City to do so. The Expedition to Farwatch Finding himself in the Serene City, by the new ways of his order, Alek was hiring himself out as a mercenary, searching for whatever work he could find on his own. As he traveled through the district of Garin, Alek saw some men accosting a young man trying to make his way home, demanding he give them access to drugs and money held at the hospital where he worked. Alek, who was atop his horse, Hurricane, charged the gang of men, sending them running. Alek befriended the man, Jandrich Yefremov, who allowed the knight to stay in his home, later recommending Alek to his hospital who were arranging for Jandrich and a Dr Larch Undertow to be sent to aid the wounded of the expedition to Farwatch. It was there that Alek began to question the current tenants of his Order, making him wonder if older ideals need to be brought back. Category:Characters Category:Human